<p>I'm one year into the Software Engineering program at my school and I am considering either switching to Computer Engineering or double majoring in CompE and SoftE. Honestly I'm really interested in working with hardware and embedded systems more than enterprise software. This being the case, do you guys think an extra year of classes to double major would even make sense for me? I know I would get a really deep understanding of software AND hardware doing this and it would allow me to enter either career path. But this does not seem to justify double majoring considering my desires lie more in what CompE has to offer.</p>
<p>I am almost certain that with a CompE degree, you can go into software engineering. I say pursue the CompE degree and take electives that stress software engineering. A lot of CompE programs already have at least one class called software engineering built into the curriculum.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I'm not too sure if SoftE's can go into the hardware industry, except for coding aspect. CompE just seems to encompass both hardware and software engineering and provided you take appropriate electives, you can do just as well.</p>
<p>I have the same question as the OP only with Computer Science instead of SoftE. Would this make a difference? I would be roughly entering as a sophomore, so would I be able to finish the double major in 4 years?</p>
<p>software engineering and computer science are practically the same thing - one is application one is theory..pick which you prefer and do it..doing both is useless.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice astor and that is pretty much how I am seeing things. With a CompE degree I could likely get into both hardware and software industries. With a SoftE degree I am likely not going to touch hardware ever. And besides that, much of the software skills people learn they learn on the job. You can't really learn electrical engineering on the job!</p>
<p>I probably won't be taking many software electives though as my free electives are used up and my program electives will likely go towards other interests, embedded systems design, computer security, etc.</p>
<p>I am almost certain I will switch to CompE but I am still considering the double major in SE. We'll see...</p>
<p>I wouldn't recommend double majoring in CompSci and CompE. It's too redundant since CompE can be summed up as ElectricalEngineering + CompSci. It would be unnecessary to try to fulfill both major requirements when you can just major in CompE to get the main CompSci down, and take electives within CompSci to fulfill your needs. At least at my school, in CompE, your electives can be chosen from the CompSci department, so it all works out. On the other hand, CompSci in the arts and sciences school, it would be rather difficult to take electives in CompE in the engineering school, being that engineering classes have a lot of pre-reqs from previous engineering courses. The math courses, however, should be fairly similar in both CompSci and CompE.</p>
<p>Saying that CE is just CS+EE can be misleading. That paints the picture that all CE is is a weak programming degree with a weak EE degree. If your school is really an engineering school than CE is completely different than both. There are many classes at my school that are JUST CE classes and yes CE shares a lot with SE and EE. CE's do all the physics that EE's do, they learn OO programming, assembly, they learn circuits, computer architecture, networking, and a lot more. Its a very diverse degree but in the ends results in a very good embedded systems programmer that understands circuits and the fundamentals of programming </p>
<p>Of course if you come from a school with a weak CE program then yes its just CS classes thrown into an EE program without the hardcore EE classes...then you're better off doing EE and minoring in CS =)</p>
<p>"Software Engineering? Do you want to be like the guy in office space?"</p>
<p>Haha that guy was a code monkey, I would not call him a software engineer. Anyone with a high school degree can teach themselves to be a code monkey and there are levels of programming much much higher than that.</p>